Borussia Dortmund kicked off their pre-season with a 3-1 comeback victory against Regionalliga West squad Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, but the real story is how some fresh faces stepped up big time. Oberhausen actually snagged an early lead after picking off an Alexander Meyer clearance, which had to be a gut punch, but Niko Kovac’s crew didn’t flinch.
Lerma’s Debut Thunder and The Youth Movement
Talk about making an entrance, right? Ecuadorian midfielder Justin Lerma, making his BVB debut, absolutely slammed home the equalizer just before half-time. It was a chaotic play, the ball ricocheting right to him after an initial effort from US youth international Mathis Albert. You gotta love that kind of grit from a debutant. Coach Kovac then rolled out a completely different squad in the second half, with Frenchman Joane Gadou also getting his first appearance. It’s clear they’re trying out a ton of talent early on, and it’s exciting to see who’s gelling.
Goals Keep Coming, New Faces Impress
Serhou Guirassy put Dortmund ahead for the first time just ten minutes into the restart with his usual flair, and then Takato Yamamoto sealed the deal. Yamamoto, a new Japanese midfielder on a one-year loan from Gamba Osaka for the youth team, combined perfectly with the 16-year-old Marawan Omir Mirza. With eleven Dortmund players still recovering from World Cup duty, it makes total sense they’re leaning on the youth team. We saw Jobe Bellingham and Fabio Silva out there for the first 45 minutes, plus the Italian trio , Filippo Mane, Luca Reggiani, and Samuele Inacio , all getting some run. Even Brazilian Yan Couto, who’s likely headed out this summer, played the first half as Dortmund showed off players from 14 different countries. That’s a serious global squad.
Next up, BVB is heading to Japan for matches against Cerezo Osaka and FC Tokyo. Then it’s on to the Emirates Cup with games against Arsenal and AS Roma, all before the big German football curtain-raiser, the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, against rivals FC Bayern. It’s early, but the energy from these young guys is exactly what you want to see.
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